Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her.
There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she will respond as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt. –Hosea 2:14-15

Because God is so gracious and abounding in love, you and I don’t ever need to be afraid to hit the restart button in our spiritual life. The book of Hosea is a story of God’s unrelenting love toward a people who had ignored him for a long time. They had become a people who believed they didn’t need him. So what did God do? He wooed his people out into a desert so that he could remind them that they were His sons and daughters, and that …

Like a four-numbered combination to a lock that opens up your gym locker, we learn four freeing truths in this passage that open up our spiritual locker so we can strap on our running shoes again and run the hills with God.

1. GOD IS ALLURING YOU

One of the biggest wet blankets that smolders my spiritual life is when I start believing that I need to go and meet with God versus God is pursuing me and wants to meet with me. Learn to listen to God’s voice waking you up in the morning to invite you to go walk and pray with him. If that hasn’t been your experience, then try praying now that God will wake you up early with his alluring voice to go Walk and Talk outside and see how he answers your prayer to allure you from the moment you wake up.

2. SOLITUDE WITH GOD FREES US FROM DISTRACTIONS

“I will lead her into the wilderness…” God knows we are distracted by many things, so he’s calling you out into wilderness solitude so that he can free you from the many things so you can find the one thing that you need, Himself. Wilderness time will free you from distractions like nothing else.

3. WE CAN EXPERIENCE CLEAR COMMUNICATION WITH GOD

“… and speak tenderly to her…” Hosea reminds God’s people that we have a communication problem. Communication is one of the top shelf needs for all people, and when we can’t communicate we implode. You and I constantly need fresh experiences with God to improve our communication with Him through prayer and time in His Word. God calls his people out into the wilderness to restore clear communication with his children. We too can experience that through times with him “Walking and Talking” in the wilderness.

4. BY GOD’S GRACE WE ARE ABLE TO CUT LOOSE FROM TROUBLES CAUSE BY SIN AND RUN INTO A DAY OF HOPE!

The Valley of Achor is the place where Achan sinned against God because he hid some forbidden war plunder in his tent (See Joshua 7). He not only brought trouble on himself but he marked his community with tragedy as his sin caused Joshua’s troops to fail in their battle to take over the Promised Land. In this passage in Hosea, God is saying that he doesn’t want his people to hide in their sin like Achan and live a troubled life as a result. Instead, as a compassionate Father, he calls his children to repent and cry out in need for His grace, and he will grant it. The day of hope dawns as we rend open our hearts and cry out loudly for restoration.

One of the reasons I enjoy routinely going on a “Walk and Talk” with Jesus early in the morning while it’s still dark is because there is no one around… I don’t have to feel inhibited to keep my voice quiet, but I can talk out loud or even cry out if I want… and that experience reminds me that I’m not alone… that God hears me and cleanses me so I can walk in a new day of hope. One of the great ironies of “solitude” is that being alone with God in the darkness and solitude of the outdoors is the very thing that reminds me that I’m not alone.

What do you think?

Check out the most recent Blog Posts:

7 WAYS WILDERNESS MINISTRY CAN IMPACT YOUR CHURCH As a fellow pastor, mission leader, and dad, I want to share 7 reasons why youth pastors, men’s and women’s ministry leaders who want to be on the cutting edge of reaching the culture will prioritize wilderness trips:...

In what ways do you worship God? This video, made by Denver Seminary students, demonstrates how going into creation is a powerful tool for inspiring worship. The beautiful poem and soundtrack in the video are both praises to God. They are both expressions of worship...

I am so excited to have guest blogger, Emily Huguenin, use her 10+ years of outdoor ministry experience to give insight into how wilderness navigation informs a quest for truth. She has written a 3-part series identifying obstacles in the search for "What is True?"...